Ahead of Week 5 of the college football season, The Red & Black football beat ranked the 14 teams in the SEC, breaking the conference into five tiers:

Tier 1 1) Georgia- Last week: Tier 1, overall rank No. 1

Georgia played a surprisingly close game with Kent State, winning 39-22. 22 points is the second most allowed by the Bulldog defense since the start of the 2021 season. After having zero turnovers through the first three games, Georgia committed three on Saturday. The Bulldogs have earned the benefit of the doubt with the strength of their first three wins, but will need to recapture that standard to maintain their hold on the top spot.

2) Alabama- Last week: Tier 1, overall rank No. 2

Alabama blew out Vanderbilt 55-3 in a dominant showing. Bryce Young was excellent, completing 25 of 36 pass attempts for 385 yards and four touchdowns. Defensively, Will Anderson was his usual dominant self, posting 2.5 sacks and five total tackles. The Crimson Tide remain one of the elite teams in college football and now head into a three game stretch against ranked teams in No. 20 Arkansas, No. 17 Texas A&M and No. 8 Tennessee. — Stuart Steele

Tier 2 3) Tennessee — Last week: Last week: Tier 2, overall rank No. 4

It was a good week for Hendon Hooker and the Volunteers, breaking a five-game losing streak against the Gators and climbing up in the AP rankings in the process. It wasn’t a flaw win for Tennessee — Anthony Richardson threw for 453 yards in the game, doubling his output for the entire season prior — but the team did what was necessary to secure an SEC victory against a tough opponent. Hooker was the standout player for the Volunteers, throwing for 349 yards through the air and racking up over 100 with his legs. This week, Tennessee heads to the bayou for a matchup against LSU.

4) Kentucky — Last week: Tier 2, overall rank No. 3

Kentucky stumbled slightly in week four, narrowly escaping a Northern Illinois team that entered the matchup with losses to Tulsa and Vanderbilt. The passing game wasn’t an issue, with Will Levis throwing for 300 yards and four touchdowns, but the rushing attack simply couldn’t get anything going against the Huskies’ defensive line. The team averaged only 2.9 yards-per-carry in the game, and lost a fumble on the ground. It wasn’t a nightmare scenario for Kentucky, who led by 10 entering the fourth quarter, but they’ll have to perform better versus Ole Miss, ranked at no. 16 in this week’s AP top-25.

5) Texas A&M — Last week: Tier 3, overall rank No. 6Week four was very nearly disastrous for Jimbo Fisher and his squad. After the first quarter, they trailed by double digits to an undefeated Arkansas team that was looking to assert itself as a contender. Texas A&M answered valiantly, breaking out on a 23-0 scoring run which featured touchdowns from the running, passing and defensive groups. Devon Achane was a force against the Razorbacks, finishing with over 150 rushing yards at the tune of 8.4 yards-per-carry. A win is a win, but this victory certainly wasn’t the statement that A&M might have hoped. With Alabama looming on the horizon, the team will look to build on their momentum against Mississippi State. — John James

Tier 3 6) Arkansas — Last week: Tier 2, overall rank No. 5

Arkansas suffered its first loss of the 2022 season, falling 23-21 against Texas A&M. The Razorbacks led 14-0 in the first quarter, and at one point were inside the Aggies’ 5-yard line looking to extend their 14-7 lead. Quarterback KJ Jefferson fumbled, and Texas A&M’s Tyreek Chappell recovered and smartly tossed the ball to Demani Richardson, who ran it all the way back for a touchdown. The rest of the game was tight but culminated in Razorbacks’ kicker Cam Little missing a 42-yard field goal after the ball struck the top of the right upright. Arkansas has another tall task this week, as it will host Alabama at Razorback Stadium.

7) Ole Miss — Last week: Tier 3, overall rank No. 7Ole Miss has yet to face a major test and sits at 4-0 with wins over Tulsa, Georgia Tech, Central Arkansas and Troy. The Rebels’ offense was dormant in the second half of their 35-27 win over the Golden Hurricane. All 35 of their points were scored in the opening two quarters. Ole Miss will face by far the best opponent it has faced thus far on Saturday against No. 7 Kentucky. That game is a major opportunity for the Rebels to prove themselves as one of the most dangerous teams in the conference and college football in general with a good performance. For now, Ole Miss remains something of a mystery.

8) Florida — Last week: Tier 3, overall rank No. 8Florida fell 38-33 against Tennessee on Saturday. With two losses already this season, the Gators are in danger of dropping out of the race for the SEC East entirely. Florida has lost 10 of its last 12 SEC games and still has Georgia and a road trip to Texas A&M on the schedule. Quarterback Anthony Richardson has been inconsistent, flashing his immense talent at times while making killer mistakes as well. Richardson turned the ball over twice in the fourth quarter on Saturday, and will look to improve on being steadier for Florida’s offense. The Gators have a get-right home game against Eastern Washington this week and then will play six straight SEC opponents.

9) LSU — Last week: Tier 3, overall rank No. 9LSU handled business against New Mexico State on Saturday, outgaining the Lobos 633 yards to 88. Quarterback Jayden Daniels continues to fit in well on offense, and the defense as a whole is starting to assert itself as one of the better units in the conference. Even the Tigers’ Week 1 loss to Florida State looks better, considering the Seminoles are now ranked No. 23 in the AP Poll. This week, LSU will face Auburn on the road, fresh off scraping by Missouri in a 17-14 overtime win. LSU still has five ranked teams remaining on the schedule, but to this point the season has been a mostly positive one for new head coach Brian Kelly. — Stuart Steele

Tier 4 10) Mississippi State — Last week: Tier 4, overall rank No. 12

After a disappointing loss to LSU, the Bulldogs rebounded nicely against Bowling Green. Will Rogers led the way with 409 yards through the air and six passing touchdowns in the blowout win. The Bulldogs have a challenging task ahead of them, facing a Texas A&M team coming off of an impressive comeback victory against Arkansas. If the Bulldogs want any shot at upsetting the Aggies, quarterback Will Rogers will certainly have to turn in a much better performance than what he did against LSU.

11) South Carolina — Last week: Tier 4, overall rank No. 10After a blowout to Georgia, South Carolina was able to bounce back against Charlotte. While Spencer Rattler didn’t throw for any touchdowns he was able to manage the offense efficiently. Running back MarShawn Lloyd had an explosive day, running for 169 yards and three touchdowns. The Gamecocks now turn their page to SC State, hoping to continue their offensive success before a SEC showdown with Kentucky on October 8th.

12) Auburn — Last week: Tier 4, overall rank No. 11The Tigers followed up their blowout loss against Penn State, with a pretty unimpressive win against Missouri. Neither team scored in the second half of the game and at one point 12 straight possessions ended with a punt in the game. Quarterback Robby Ashford struggled to find anything through the air but did end up with 46 yards and a touchdown via the ground game. Things are not looking good for Auburn right now and it doesn’t help that their next four games are against LSU, Georgia, Ole Miss and Arkansas. — Parth Patel

Tier 5 13) Vanderbilt — Last week: Tier 5, overall rank No. 14

Vanderbilt fell to Alabama 55-3 last Saturday in its SEC opener in a game where the Commodores didn’t manage to hit triple digits in yards until late in the fourth quarter. The Commodores do not fare well against ranked opponents as seen by losses to No. 23 Wake Forest in week three and No. 2 Alabama in week four. In those two defeats, the Commodores allowed a total of 100 points. Vanderbilt needs a wake-up call, and quickly, as its remaining games are against SEC opponents, including four against ranked teams (No. 14 Ole Miss, No. 1 Georgia, No. 7 Kentucky, and No. 8 Tennessee).

14) Missouri — Last week: Tier 5, overall rank No. 13Last Saturday, Missouri’s SEC opener at Jordan-Hare was soured by allowing Auburn to escape with a 17-14 victory. Even though Missouri underperformed after halftime, it still had the chance to win with :02 left in regulation. All the team needed was to make a 26-yard field goal, which kicker Harrison Mevis missed to the right to send the game into overtime. Similar to Vanderbilt, seven out of Missouri’s final eight games are against SEC opponents, making for a very challenging slate for the Tigers. — Meadow Barrow